Gray Areas
by purplenopink
Summary: How can a spy and a thief going after the same thing get along? THEY DON'T. Join Sakura and Syaoran in this crazy adventure that's full of deceit, action and of course romance! SxS! Read and review! XD
1. Sakura Kinomoto, Accountant

A/N: It's a new story and I'm hoping that this one will sound smarter than my other unfinished stories. I'm going to be posting the first two chapters and see what you guys think. So uhm… read and I hope you guys like it. Don't forget to leave a review!

**Summary/Preview**: _I can't believe it. He caught the poisoned needle between his two fingers. DAMN. _"Why try to kill me? We're not that different after all." _Ha! We're worlds apart you cocky bastard! _"You're a spy, I'm a thief. The only difference is that the man's got your back when you go on your shenanigans." _I wanted to shoot that bastard's hand – the hand that foiled my plan, the hand that prevented his death. The only problem is, it was already groping my bare thigh. _Sakura Kinomoto is a spy, but most people think she's an accountant. Syaoran Li is a thief, but most people think he's a socialite who lives at an upscale penthouse. It's the usual cat and mouse game, the common goose chase – but not everything is as it seems because something evil is always cooking beneath the surface.

**Gray Areas**

by purplenopink

_Enjoy…!_

Chapter One: Sakura Kinomoto, accountant

I've always thought that my parents weren't that honest with me, but I shrugged it off. Aren't everyone's parents like that too? They have their little secrets – secrets that would ruin their children's heroic image of them when discovered. It occurred to me when I was thirteen that indeed, my parents really weren't honest with me. They were different from other parents – they were spies. Before I was thirteen I happily went in front of class on the first day of school and introduced myself and talked about my family. My family with the supermodel mother, traveling archaeology professor, ivy league college brother and little old me, innocent Sakura. But boy, was I wrong. It turns out I have two spies for parents, one for the Interpol and one for the CIA. My brother? He's a scientist for a prominent military defense weapons organization. All that was revealed to me on a road trip going to God knows where. My parents said it was a surprise. Well, finding out that my life was a lie was surprise enough for me.

I remember it like it was yesterday. My whole family was travelling from our home in Beverly Hills looking like an innocent family travelling between states. Something was different though. We weren't taking the usual highways but the road still looked like huge highways even though the blinking dot on the GPS showed that we were traveling on dirt roads. Also, considering that our route was a bit questionable, my mother wasn't fiddling with a map, it's like the route was engraved in her brain. Later on, I would find out that really, it was. Another unusual thing was that there were a lot of checkpoints. I was thinking it was okay and that the policemen wouldn't notice that we were a family of sleuths, that they would just think that we were a family with a Japanese dad, an American mother and two half-Japanese, half-American kids.

After five hours of travelling on the stopover-less route, we arrived – guess where? – in the middle of nowhere. At least I thought it was nowhere. My whole family had this look on their face, like they were expecting something to happen. Suddenly our car started moving, but my father wasn't moving the steering wheel or stepping on the gas pedal. We were moving down, like we were on an elevator going underground. And nothing I did could describe the tremendous amount of awe that I felt – nothing but my huge gaping mouth with the jaw feeling like it would extend to the floor if it were possible. What was in there was not normal. My father calmly drove off the ramp and into the "parking lot" filled with cars ranging from Lamborghinis to dirty old pick-up trucks. My brother dragged me out from the other side of the backseat of our Mercedes-Benz. They led me to a huge vault like door and my dad, mom and brother pressed their fingers onto something. "Plus one" said my brother. "Acknowledged, commencing registration" said the voice seeming coming from nowhere.

My brother led me up to the spot where they pressed their finger. I reckoned I was supposed to put my finger on it but I was afraid. What was happening? I'm in the middle of nowhere with my family who's been lying to me for the past thirteen years. Now, they're trying to get me inside whatever's behind this super questionable vault-like door. "Commence registration, please" said the voice in a more demanding tone. I pressed my forefinger onto the blank glass. I thought it was going to flash a light, registering my fingerprint or something. Isn't that what it usually does, like in spy movies?

It didn't do that. "Ouch!" I said. It was the first word I said after my parents told me the truth about our family. The glass pricked my finger. "Blood sample analyzed and registered. Name please," it said. I looked at my brother and he gave me the look that said, "get on with it". "Sakura Kinomoto." "Age?" "Thirteen" "Gender?" "Female" "Name of family members and relationship" "Errr… Fujitaka Kinomoto, my father…Nadeshiko Kinomoto, my mother…Touya Kinomoto, my brother" "Information registered and voice recognition configured. You may enter."

There were smooth swishing sounds that sounded like locks unlocking and then the door slowly opened revealing something so common it was ironic that it was ever behind a huge finger-pricking door. It was a huge, well lit, department store. Well that was what it _looked _like, not what it really was, which I later found out was a one stop shop for…spy stuff. A few people greeted my mom and dad and they cheerfully greeted them. They seemed so comfortable, like they were home. "Now, Sakura, this is the Shop," said my mother. She motioned to the huge fancy looking department store. I looked around the place. Marble floors and lighting that gave everything a light orange or gold tone. It looked like the department stores I was used to visiting while on my mother's frequent shopping binges. Every sales clerk looked like they weren't just there because the company hired them to. They looked like they knew a lot of things, things about what they're selling and … everything else.

My mother led me to a stall my father and brother were at. It was selling some expensive looking watches. The saleslady was showing my brother a shiny black watch. "This one's state of the art sir," said the saleslady. She mentioned the usual watch stuff then she suddenly had a serious face on. It was very…un-saleslady like. "Now, for the more serious applications of this gadget," she said. "It has a communication function that is compatible to most intercom units manufactured after the 80's," she ran her finger over something I never noticed before. It was a tiny oval on the side of the watch that had a wire mesh – the intercom device. My brother nodded approvingly, but seemed to be expecting something more. The lady passed her finger over another portion of the watch but nothing happened, only a tiny hole opened up. "This watch also has a capacity of 20 needles, well obviously this is a watch store, you can buy needles by the accessories department and your choice of poison at the apothecary," said the saleslady with a smile. _Poison? _ Did I hear right? Did she just say poison? Good lord. The watch has a capacity for 20 poison needles which can be used to…k-kill?

After a few more seconds of inner panic I noticed that my whole family was looking at me. "Huh?" I said. They can't expect me to understand every look they give me. I'm a thirteen year old put smack dab in the middle of the outside of her comfort zone! My brother gave a very annoyed sigh. "So you want it?" he said referring to the shiny black watch. "Errrr…" Do I want it? DO I WANT IT? The killer watch? DO I WANT IT? I probably had the panicked look on my face because my mom put her hand on my shoulder and calmed me down. I sighed. I was probably signed into this life forever. It's like how some people have a family of doctors, lawyers, restaurant owners and what not… I have a family of spies. The only difference is that they're given all throughout high school to get that into their heads, where as I am only given a five hour road trip. And with that realization in mind, I said, "Do you have it in pink?"

Now that is the story of how I, Sakura Kinomoto, came to realize that the future was already laid out for me. After my first visit to the Shop, my parents didn't waste any more time. They put me in a top-secret spy training facility disguised as a snooty boarding school for girls in the state of New York. There I learned the basics of being a spy. I had to learn about fifteen languages, advanced math, encryption methods and all that and of course, ways on how to kill someone with just about anything and never getting noticed. All that in four years, after which I enrolled in university for accounting and right after graduation, I was in the CIA, secretly of course, everyone else knew I was an accountant.

So now, my first year in the CIA is coming to an end. In my first year I've been assigned a lot of… paperwork. Well obviously I have to go through a specialized training program, which I did exceptionally well in of course, considering my genes. Right now though, is the first time I've been given one of the exciting missions. The kind of mission I've been training for since I was thirteen. I've been assigned an extraction mission. There were a lot of things blacked out in the file they gave me. It was only natural, I'm not that high level clearance yet but the file clearly laid out my mission for me.

Francesca Lippi is also a CIA agent. She'd been the one assigned to get the item from the person who mistakenly bought the item from the black market thinking it was just a simple piece of really expensive jewelry. Francesca's my senior in the training facility in New York. She graduated about two years before I did. Her cover is to say the least, different from mine. She's supposed to be a New York City socialite who kind of also dabbles in the black market. She could personally transport it to headquarters if it wasn't for her black market famous cover. A lot of missions relied on her cover. That's where I come in. This Friday, she'll be hosting a sort of auction in the Terrace Room at the Plaza. There, I will be posing as a very rich businessman's accountant and I will pay the highest price for the item but of course, we both know she's giving it to me for free. The item is called the Rose of Antoinette. It's an insanely huge pink diamond put on an ornate 24-carat gold ring. I am to get that to Langley within 18 hours. After that, unless I suddenly get promoted to some sort of director, I will never know what happened to that ring. . All I'm supposed to know is that it isn't a simple piece of jewelry. Anything else in the file that would have discussed the function of the item was blacked out.

For a spy who's trained to uncover secrets, I'm okay with not knowing. Given my job, not knowing is actually a good thing. Sometimes, secrets are better kept by the people with the conscience that can handle them.

A/N: That was the first chapter! Please let me know what you think. Don't forget to leave a review! ~purplenopink


	2. Syaoran Li, socialite and art collector

A/N: So here's the next chapter! Again, don't forget to leave a review to let me know if you want to read more :D

**Gray Areas**

by purplenopink

_Enjoy…!_

Chapter Two: Syaoran Li, socialite and art collector

"You know there's something called contact lenses," I said to my cousin. "Oh come on Syao, you know the chicks dig the glasses," said Eriol, my cousin. "Not if they're as thick as the bottom of a Coke bottle." There had to be something I could say to stop the incessant sound of tapping keys on his _and _my laptop. I couldn't concentrate on the blueprints. Was it too much to ask of him to stop smashing the keys on my Macbook? Albeit, it isn't exactly _my _Macbook. "Sorry about the tapping Syao, it's just, well…I'm a bit excited. Which big shot did you swipe this from? His password keychain has access to a motherload of classified information." "All you have to know is I'm awesome." It's true though, I am awesome. Hey, who else would have come up with the plan to steal that laptop by bumping into said big shot and switching bags? Well okay… a lot. I'm still awesome though. "Enough about how I got the laptop from what's-his-face. What's in it? Is there anything about it?" I asked. I was anxious. I wanted to know if we really did hit the jackpot – if we had something that could just maybe, get my family's trust back.

Eriol turned his seat to face me, the tips of his fingers touching, looking like the cat from Alice in Wonderland. "I dunno, what makes me so sure you're not going to run away?" A scoff escaped from my mouth. Not this again. "Look, I won't run away again – the last job was a minor mistake…a case of summer boredom or…so they say," I answered. I loosened my tie for the nth time that night, was it just me or is this room really hot? "The last I recall, you ran away with that Vermeer painting in winter, not summer. Plus, you sold it to buy an ENGAGEMENT ring which was an epic fail I might add, seeing as you're broke and spouseless." I buried my face in my hands. So this is why a dude should always be careful about choices in the past…they come to haunt you. But who could blame me? With what I went through I'm thinking my running away was the sane thing to do rather than just doing as told like what the rest of my cousins and siblings were doing.

(FLASHBACK)

I remember it all too clearly, the day my own uppity rich boy world went upside down.

It was my first year of high school. Of course, I'd gotten into the best and most expensive private school in New York City. I was happy and the girls were just coming onto me day after day. I was living the life. That was until I was called to the ancestral house in upstate New York. We had a huge estate there. They said I had a meeting with the elders. As the name suggests, they're the oldest in our clan. They make the big decisions and stuff. Up until that day, I thought all the elders decided on which fundraisers they could donate to or which high society people were fit to marry into the family. I was dreadfully mistaken. That afternoon in the central hall of the mansion, despite the light streaming in through the floor to ceiling windows lining the east wall…the place looked _and _felt pretty dark. I didn't know if I was supposed to believe and go with what they were saying or if I should…report it to the police.

"Xiao Lang, I'm sure you've had a good life, have you not?" I nodded. My throat was kind of dry and I didn't know if there was some drug in the water bottle. "Good," said one of the female elders. "You've come of age Xiao Lang, and now is the time to let you into…shall we say… the family business." The family business? Seriously? What part of this is a _business _exactly? They're basically telling me that our whole clan steals for a living. You name it! The Li family does cons, heists, burglaries… the works. The most amazing part of it is…we never got caught. "I…I don't understand." I finally found my voice and lo and behold it was the squeaky puberty kind. "You know for the heir of this clan, you sure are pretty stupid," said one elder who particularly looked like the times weren't very kind to him. "Gege! Xiao Lang, it's plain and simple. Do you want to keep living in this world? The one with your expensive private schools and designer clothing?" asked another elder, this one had a kinder face though. I nodded, "Of course." "Well then, we'll take that as a yes," said the elder with the kinder face. "Geh, it's settled then. Li Xiao Lang, heir of the Li clan, will start training tomorrow morning at four in the morning!" said the man with the aged face. "FOUR IN THE MORNING?" I said in disbelief. Before I could voice out the disadvantages of waking up that early, the guards were dragging me out of the main hall and into the limousine that picked me up from my house in the Upper East Side.

After that were endless days of training. The training was harsh and don't get me started on the shock I felt when I had to wake up four hours earlier than my 7am alarm. A limousine would always be outside the building at 2:45 in the morning. We would always leave at 3:00 in the morning. If I didn't leave at that exact time and did not arrive at the ancestral home st exactly four in the morning, I would get a scolding from my mother. I can't believe my mother. She married _into _the Li family, which means she married dad knowing the "family business" was thievery? I didn't have a choice though, this was my family and no matter how I twist the facts around in my head…they're still the ones that raised and took care of me.

Well, enough of that. Have I mentioned how crazy my life went after I started this "training"? The crazy wake up calls were only the tip of the gigantic iceberg.

During training, I found out that the Li ancestral home wasn't just any ancestral home. It was a training ground for professional…thieves. Sure, when you go in you see the luxurious double height living room with the floor to ceiling windows and the expensive furniture. In reality though, when you cut yourself on the mantle of the fireplace, and your blood is verified, the bookshelves in the adjacent library slide to reveal a passageway. That was where I took my first class about hacking into computer systems and figuring out blueprints. On the west wing's library with its wide assortment of books was where I learned how to appreciate art, gems and antiques…a.k.a. learning to know if the thing you stole was the real deal or not.

Now of course thieves could get into some trouble. It's expected when you attempt to steal someone's prized possession of whatever. So that's why when you head over to the gardens, there are middle aged looking people that train you in combat. Don't let the old person façade get you comfy. My guard once slipped and I had to make up a crazy excuse for my class adviser as to why I had this huge bruise on my throat and couldn't talk. Then in the central garden, if you get through the labyrinth of high hedges, you'll see a knob in the bushes which opens a path to the underground, the second most dangerous place in the Li ancestral home. It's were we're taught how to use tiny little weapons and poisons but only if utterly necessary.

Now for the most dangerous place in the Li ancestral home – The Vault. For reasons that I cannot disclose but are obvious, I can't state the location. Let's just say that it's one big safety deposit box. It's somewhere that not even the best thieves from my family can break into. Last but not the least is the High Wall. That's what my cousins nicknamed the West wall. It's the highest wall in the Li estate. At first you're trained to get down and up with a bungee cord. That's the easy part. After some months you have to get up and down that _thing _in under a minute without a bungee cord and minimal holes to hang onto while climbing up and down. All this hard work is well…hard. It didn't come without benefits though. I've always been toned and slightly tanned from climbing the high wall. Girls still fawn over me.

Well all that exercise and mental stimulation was great but at the tender age of thirteen, of course I was conflicted! The Li ancestral home was one of the most absurd places I've seen in my life, and I've been to a lot of places. What's even more absurd than that ancestral home is my family's reaction to all this. My mom just nodded and gave me a "Do your best" before going to whichever country it was she had a meeting in. My sisters said "Welcome to the club!" Seriously. "Welcome to the club!"? Was it only me that saw what was wrong with this whole thing? You know, the stealing from people who worked for what they had and then just using it to fund whatever business? Okay, I know it sounds very childish but it's cheating!

Those times I sat around in my room thinking. The door would always be locked and not a sound would come out of my room. I spent time thinking and thinking and thinking. Then it hit me. I knew the solution to my dilemma of conflicted feelings about whether I should do this or not. The answer is… I had to do it. I had to face it, I wasn't the hero type. I wasn't going to be the family black sheep and _do the right thing. _I liked my life, and as much as how wrong it would seem to other people, I loved my family. I wasn't going to be the one to ruin them. I had to accept who I was…even if it was kind of a given.

(END OF FLASHBACK)

Sometimes though, things drive you crazy. Things get you to jump over the edge or step out of line. That was what happened to me that winter I ran away with that Vermeer painting, but that's a story for another time. Right now, I had to make this plan work so I can get my family's trust back. After all, who else are you going to lean on in this world besides your family? Even if you know…you have a family of thieves.

A/N: Hope you liked it! Please leave some reviews if you want to read more :D


	3. The Terrace Room

A/N: Thanks to those who reviewed and put this story on their alerts list. Greatly appreciated. Hope you enjoy this next chapter! :D

**Gray Areas**

By purplenopink

_Enjoy...!_

Chapter Three: The Terrace Room

_**Sakura's POV**_

"Oh my gosh Sakura! I can't believe _you _get to go into the Plaza and I'm here... in the laundry van," said a voice my ear. I tapped my earpiece.

"Tomoyo, I love you and all but keep the volume down. I do have to hear everything else in the room."

"Fine Sakura, but you be careful. I heard that a director's laptop was stolen! Keep on the lookout for anyone suspicious," said Tomoyo.

I checked my watch and it said 2:30. The auction will be starting soon. I sighed and surveyed the whole room, taking note which were the quickest exits. The Terrace Room in the Plaza was one spectacular sight. If I were in Tomoyo's place I would be complaining too. Everything seemed like it was tinted in gold. Wait, maybe everything _was _tinted in gold. There were chairs laid out around a small stage set up at the front of the room. There were also some seats on the elevated floors on the sides of the room. I watched everyone coming in. They were all laughing and talking like they knew each other. They probably did. Everything about this place screamed rich. I took my seat and waited. After a few minutes, the room was filled. I'm thinking there are about 350 to 400 people.

"Sakura, how's the venue?" asked Tomoyo.

"It's fine. Nothing's going on. There's about 350 to 400 people," I answered in a hushed tone.

"Not the people, I mean the Terrace Room! What's it like?" she asked again.

Oh Tomoyo. She's been my friend since spy boarding school in upstate New York. Actually, we're cousins. Our moms are both spies for the CIA. Tomoyo is very efficient. Ever since boarding school she's never been into the physical spy stuff, she's more of the super genius spy with the awesome laptop. She generally collects information, hacks into security systems and in her spare time, she invents a gadget or two. She's been assigned my handler right when we entered the agency. Ever since then, we've lived in the same condominium in Gramercy, Manhattan. It's no problem living with her except that she always always _always _has to be watched when she goes out. She's kind of a guy magnet and you never know what could happen to her in the streets of New York at night.

I looked around the room once more and found myself staring at the ceiling. There were beautiful paintings. The chandeliers were breathtaking as well. "The paintings and the chandeliers are amazing. Totally feels like one hell of a party even though it's just an auction," I said to Tomoyo over the intercom. "So jealous! Why did I reject training for field work again?" said Tomoyo. I didn't reply anymore. Someone just sat beside me. I looked to my right and immediately looked away then up to the ceiling to admire the paintings. _This guy beside me was hot. _

_**Syaoran's POV**_

I saw the seat with my name card on it. Seriously, why did they have to make everything alphabetical? It would be easier if I could sit in front and steal the item without alarming anyone. I sat down and noticed that the girl next to me was staring up at the ceiling. A newcomer perhaps? It's only natural to gawk at this room's beauty but after you've been here a lot of times it just seems kind of natural and you stop minding.

"Those date back to 1921 you know," I said. Hey, I'm wound up so tight about this job. A little flirting may relieve my stress a little, besides the girl was standard cute. She looked surprised and turned to me. "Huh?" she said. "Those paintings on the ceiling that you were looking at, they date back to 1921," I reiterated. "Oh, wow. This place is pretty amazing. Even the chandeliers look stunning," said the girl. "Yeah, they were made by Charles Winston." "Like Harry Winston? The jewel person?" _The "jewel person"? Seriously? Have some finesse woman. You're not fifteen anymore by the looks of it._ "Ah yes, Charles Winston is Harry Winston's brother," I explained. "Wow, so making beautiful things runs in the family huh?" _It sure does. I can personally attest to that since I stole some Harry Winston jewelry before for practice. _

"You sure know a lot about this place, you must come here a lot," said the girl. "I'm a regular at the Plaza. Nice to meet you. My name's Syaoran Li." I held out my hand for her to shake. "Sakura Kinomoto, _not _a regular at the Plaza," she answered. "So what brings you here?" I asked. "Oh, I'm a private accountant. My client had a meeting in London today so he sent me to bid for him," she answered. "An accountant? I see." "So Mr. Li, what is it that brought you here?" she asked with a smile. Well well well, the smile does bring her cuteness up a bit. "I'm an art collector, I'm hoping to find some great stuff today," I answered.

Yeah, absolutely great stuff. Stuff that can get me back on the elders' good side. I am the heir to the Li clan after all. If I lose my place at the top to some dude from a minor branch of the family just because of some minor mistake, my father's ghost would probably pull me into the ground.

I was pulled out of my thoughts when the room started to get quiet as the auctioneer went up on the platform. Okay, it's game time.

_**Sakura's POV**_

"Sakura!" said Tomoyo in the earpiece. I woke up.

"Sorry, this just seems so boring," I whispered.

"I've been trying to wake you up for five minutes now. After all that spy training on stake outs, you _still _fall asleep?"

"I'm sorry but they dimmed the lights and..."

"Well, whatever. Francesca just gave me the message. Meet her in the Palm Court... gah! I'm so jealous. Get going Sakura."

I looked to my right and saw that Mr. Li was also a bit drowsy. You think events like this would keep an avid art collector awake. I quietly headed to the exit and asked the attendant, "Excuse me, where's the lady's room?" The attendant gave me directions and I headed out the door. Obviously, I wasn't going to the bathroom but I had to keep my private accountant cover solid. Can't have anyone thinking I was going to meet a socialite in the next room so she can give me a huge pink diamond ring. I headed to the Palm Court and looked for Francesca. To say the least, I spotted her in record time. She was frantically waving at me in the center table. "Omigosh! Hulloh! Over here!" Isn't this totally attention grabbing? I shrugged it off and sat across her. "Hello," I said with a smile.

"Hello? That's all you can say? Seriously. Come here, give me a hug," she said. Francesca was freaking me out a bit. She was Italian and she was stunningly gorgeous and she was acting like a total... giddy sixteen year old. I hugged her nevertheless. We sat back down and the smile won't come off her face. Seriously, we're on a mission. She should be a little bit more serious. "I am so glad we can finally meet after a year in Paris! I love your outfit by the way, totally working class chic," she said. Paris? According to the info, she recently came back from Germany. "Happy birthday!" she said to me lovingly. Okaaaaay, it's October right now my birthday isn't until April. Is she misinformed or are all extraction missions just this weird? "Here's your birthday present!" she said, ecstatically handing me a black box with an exquisite white ribbon on it. I looked at her and she looked at me, suddenly it all made sense.

So this is how it's supposed to look like in front of the people in the Palm Court: Francesca's cover is a giddy socialite, and I'm her friend who she hasn't seen for a long time. I go to the Plaza to have Afternoon Tea with her as a celebration of my birthday. We chatted for a while. I was totally into this whole being a friend of a socialite cover. The dessert was great! After chatting for a while, I checked the inside of the box. They said I was allowed to check. Just in case. I peered inside the box as Francesca drank some of her tea. Lo and behold...a huge NOT PINK diamond. My heart started to beat too fast. Was the file wrong or is this just some decoy? What the hell is going on? I cleared my throat and looked anxiously at Francesca. She looked puzzled as well and I motioned her to look into the box. That broke her smile.

She picked the tiny black box up and peered inside. The widening of her eyes signalled that truly, the diamond was supposed to be pink. "Waiter! Put this on my room's bill," she said as she started to stand up and put the little box into her purse. "Come with me upstairs for a bit?" she asked with a smile. I nodded and we quickly headed for the elevator. When we got out, she led me through a grand hallway and opened her hotel room door.

To say the least, the hotel room was exquisite. It was filled with very expensive looking furniture. The whole room assaulted you with luxury from every crevice, wall and corner. Unfortunately for me, it was not the time to gawk at how wonderful Francesca Lippi's hotel room was. "What happened?" I asked. Francesca was frantic, probably looking for the Rose of Antoinette. "Oh my gosh, you know what? The black box I gave to you wasn't for the item. It was a gift to me from an acquaintance," she said. "An acquaintance? That is some acquaintance," I answered. So she got the boxes mixed up. I felt relieved, but still, the item was still missing. "Well, he is insanely rich, but whatever...AHA!"

She stood up and showed me a black box, similar to what she gave me earlier. "Here it is. Sorry for the mix-up," she said. I opened the tiny box and sure enough, it was there...a huge pink diamond on an ornate gold ring. I gave a long sigh of relief. "Wow, that really gave me the chills," I said. Francesca smiled and tucked one of her curls behind her ear. "Nothing like a first field mission to get the blood running, huh?" We both laughed and sighed, both relieved that the mission, despite the whole mix-up, was still on its way to success. "Sakura, did you secure the Rose of Antoinette?" said Tomoyo from the earpiece. "Ah! Tomoyo, yes it's with me ri - "

I never got to finish that sentence. That's because what came next literally left me speechless. It was like all the air was knocked out of me by something that hasn't even touched me. Something horrible and terrifying happened in Francesca Lippi's room. The vent that was on the ceiling above me opened and a masked man's top half came out. It all happened too fast. The masked man got the box from me. THE MAN GOT THE FREAKING ROSE OF ANTOINETTE FROM ME. I tried to grab for it but he was too fast. It was like he was trained to be too fast. Before I could even do anything, most of his body was back in the vent. I shot a poison needle in his direction but I couldn't see if it really got him. The last thing I saw were amber eyes winking at me.

Two seconds after the vent was closed, my brain was shocked back to reality. The air rushed into my lungs and I realized I was on the ceiling with my hand on the vent, ready to pull the cover off. The adrenaline wore off though and I dropped back on the ground holding the wrecked ventilation shaft's door in my right hand. Without a second to spare, Francesca went up the vent to look and I was there on the floor with a blank face. It took about three seconds until...

I ran.

"Tomoyo, the item has been stolen from me by a masked man with amber eyes. I repeat, the item has been stolen from me. I'm going after him."

I've memorized the blue prints of this whole hotel. I knew it like the back of my hand. I was running and I was tearing up.

I was Sakura Kinomoto, I graduated top of my class at my spy school. I was the best of the best. I was not going to fail this mission. I've been trained for situations like this. I just needed to put my training into practice. Of course the ventilation shaft would lead up to the rooftop. That would be too risky if the thief went up there. He'd need a helicopter to get himself down. The only other way was down. I went down the emergency exit at record speed and was on the first floor of the hotel in a minute. I went out via the service exit where the exit of the ventilation shaft would be and I scanned the whole alley.

Nothing.

I tried to calm myself down. My teachers always told me, concentration is key. I then heard a scratch on the asphalt to my right and true enough I saw the masked man running for it. I observed everything about him. The proper and athlete like way he ran suggested he runs a lot. He probably worked out a lot too. His suit was a bit dirty but it certainly looked very expensive. I almost caught up to him but the thing I dreaded would happen happened. A getaway car was coming our way. And DAMMIT it was a rental limo. So before he could get in the limo I grabbed the first thing I could grab – his hand. He managed to get into the limo and it sped away with him inside. Just to mock me though, he held out the black box that contained the Rose of Antoinette before turning the corner. I shot a tracking device onto it, just in case Tomoyo could track it later. I slumped onto the sidewalk, ready to punch a whole into the cement.

This was my first mission and I FAILED? This is NOT how my life should be going right now. Right now I should be in the laundry van with Tomoyo gulping down a celebratory Dr. Pepper as we drove to HQ to drop the Rose of Antoinette off. I shouldn't be on the sidewalk screaming like an idiot because I was having a nervous breakdown. The laundry van pulled up beside me and Tomoyo hopped out looking worried. "Sakura, what happened? I heard your message and then your dot on the map of the hotel was going down the emergency exit at record speed and I..." She stopped and it suddenly registered to her that I was sobbing. Sakura Kinomoto never sobbed, mainly because she never had anything to sob about...EVER.

"It's ok – well it's not really okay is it?" she asked. "He got away," I said in between sobs. "There there," she said. "Did you put a tracking device on the getaway vehicle?" she asked. I nodded. "I got something from him too," I said. I opened my hand and on it was a golden ring with some kind of symbol on it. "You did a good job Sakura, we'll get them." I wiped the tears off my face and stood up and got in the driver's seat of the laundry van as Tomoyo got into the passenger seat. I stepped on the clutch and put it into gear then stepped on the gas.

"DAMN RIGHT WE'LL GET THAT SON OF A BITCH. WE ARE NOT GOING TO FAIL OUR FIRST MISSION."

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

A/N: Hope you liked this chapter! Leave a review please and let me know what you think :D


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